Transplanting-machine.



No. 884,139. PATENTED APR. 7, 1-908.

' Q G- E. & H. N. DYER.

TRANSPLANTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1907.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Witnesses Inventors m M 6? m: mmms Pucks co.. WASHIHGA'ON. n. c

No. 384,139. PATENTED APR. 7, 1 908.

. G. E. 8: H. N. DYER.

TRANSPLANTING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 13, 1907.

Wftfie ses Inventors W1 M6? QQLWW7 7 g- THE NORRIS PETERS co.WASHINGI'ON, D c.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. DYER AND HERBERT N. DYER, OF ABILENE, KANSAS.

TRANSPLANTING-MACHINE Patented April 7, 1908.

Application filed June 13, 1907. Serial No. 378,681.

The invention relates to machines used in the transplanting of cabbageplants, tomato plants, tobacco plants and other like vegetable plants.

Objects are to improve generally upon such machines; to simplify themechanism involved, and to reduce the number of parts; and to provide amachine of the kind set forth which is easy of manufacture and simpleand perfect in operation. And the invention consists of the parts,improvements, and combinations hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, andin the description thereof, we have shown the invention in its preferredform, and have shown the best mode of applying the principles thereof;but it is to be understood that we do not limit our invention to theexact mechanism shown in the drawing and in the description of thedrawing; that we contemplate changes in form, proportions, materials,the transposition of parts, and the substitution of equivalent members,without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete machine, some of the parts beingbroken partially away, and some, which are concealed from view, beingshown in dotted outline. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the machine, onthe line 2-2, of Fig. 1. The remaining figures are details of theclamping or clutching device. Fig. 3 is a cross-section, through theline 33, of Figs. 5 and 6, the clamp being closed. Fig. 4 is a similarview, the clamp being opened. Fig. 5 is a top view of the clamp; andFig. 6 is a side elevation thereof; in both figures, the clamp beingclosed, as in Fig. 3.

Like reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts.

As a running gear for our machine we may use the four wheels 7, 7, 7, 7,mounted on the front and rear axles 8, 8, connected by the beams 9, 9.Above the front axle may be the cross-beam 10, to which the front axlemay be pivoted by a king-bolt 11, with a fifth-wheel 12.

13 may be any suitable draft device, as a tongue, for ulling themachine.

In suitab e bearings 14, 14 secured under the beams 9, 9, are the twoshafts 15, 16. On the shaft 15 are keyed the large sprocketwheel 17 andthe small sprocket-wheel 19; and on the shaft 16 is suitably mounted thelain wheel or pulley 18. Sprocket-wheel 19 is connected withsprocket-wheel 21 secured to the traction wheel 7, by a sprocket-chain20. A sprocket-chain 22 passes over the sprocket-wheel 16 and the wheel18, and may be made up of adjustable links, 23, 23, in the usual mannerof sprocket-chains. And this sprocket-chain carries a number of clutchesor clamping devices 50, 50, (shown in detail in Figs. 3-6) whereby theplants are individually received from the operator and planted in theground, as will hereinafter be explained. Above this lanting-mechanism,is a tray 24 on suitable egs 25, 25.

At the front of the machine, as being suitably fastened to thecross-beam or any other part of the frame-work, is the divided shoe 26,by which the furrow, or trench, of the de sired depth and width is madein advance of the planting apparatus. And at the two sides of theplanting-sprocket are the presser blades 27, 27, by which the earth isreturned into the furrow or trench and pressed properly into placearound the plant which is being deposited by the planter-sprocket, aswill be presently explained. These pressers may be secured to the lowerends of the rods 28 secured to the cross-beam 29, and may also beprovided with additional braces 30. At the rear is a seat 31 on a spring32 secured to a cross-beam 33. At the front on suitable sup ports 34,34, is a tank or barrel 35, for containing water, provided with adischarge pi e 36 adapted to discharge the water into the trench inwhichthe plants are being de osited. The pipe may be provided wit avalve 37 operated by a wheel 38, cord 39 and wheel 40 on shaft 15. Wehave here shown merely an ordinary plug valve, and so arranged as todischarge a supply of water as each lant is deposited in the ground; butobvious y any kind of valve whereby the water sulfiply is properlyregulated and controlled W' do.

' the aws to assume their normal may thus pass on up and around thesprocketwheel for another plant.

vided-shoe 26 cuts the required trench or fur Referring now to theclutch or clampingdevice. Onto each side-piece 51, 51 of the link 23 ofthe sprocket-chain, is hinged, 52, a

plate which extends first inwardly 53, 53, to

about the middle line of the link, and then ulpwardly so as to form thetwo co-acting c amping-jaws 54,, 55. These are perforated at 56, andthrough these holes extends a rod 57, headed at both ends, and the twoclampingjaws are forced together by the two springs 58, 58. When thelink which is provided with this clamping-device passes over the srocket-wheel, the tooth 59 of the s roclEet-wheel forces the jaws apart,as in ig. 4, but as the link asses off the sprocketwheel, the withdrawaof the tooth permits osition, closed. Referring to Fig. 2, it will enoted that as the link containing the clamping-device (traveling fromfront to rear) comes into engagement with the lower part of thesprocket-wheel 17, the clamping-jaws will be forced open, therebyreleasing whatever thing may happen to have been clamped between thejaws, as a plant; and when the same link leaves the sprocket-wheel atthe top, travelingfrom rear to front, it will again clamp anything whichmay happen to be placed between the jaws.

The parts are so adjusted, as indicated in the drawings, that the travelof the sprocketchain from front to rear is at the same speed as thetravel of the machine itself forward, so that the chain remainsstationary with relation to the ground over which it passes (as to thetime between when it leaves the wheel 18 and engages s rocket-wheel 17).Also, the closeness of t e planting may be regulated by inserting agreater number of the clamping-device links, or removing some; thisbeing readily done by reason of the sprocket-chain.

The plants may be placed on the tray 24, and the o erator may be seatedon the seat As tffe machine is drawn along, the dirow, which is wateredintermittently by the rotating valve 37. The operator feeds the plantsinto the clamping-devices on the sprocket-chain, as they are released atthe top of the sprocket-wheel 17, whence they are carried around overthe wheel 18, and deposited in the trench and as the machine plant nowbeing stationary with relation to the ground, the presserblades 27, 27,press the earth back into the trench and around the plant as it is heldby the clamping device. As the link engages with the tooth of thesprocket-wheel 17, the plant is immediately released, and the linkpasses on the It will be thus understood that by properly placing theplants in the clamping-jaws, they will be properly set in the groundwith the earth pressed firmly and properly around them, and at the sametime they will have received a proper supply of water.

What we claim is:

1. The combination with a frame and runthe running-gear, another wheel,a sprocketchain passing over both said wheels and traveling from frontto rear at the same speed as the machine as'a whole travels forward soas to be stationary with relation to the ground, a clam in device onsaid sprocket-chain, normalfy c osed but opened by the teeth of thesprocket-wheel.

3. The combination with a frame and running-gear, of a sprocket-wheeloperated by the running-gear, a sprocket-chain passing over saidsprocket-wheel and adapted to travel from front to rear at the samespeed as the machine as a whole travels forward so as to be stationarywith relation to the ground, and a clamping device on said chainoperated by the sprocket-wheel.

4. The combination with a frame and running-gear, of a sprocket-wheeloperated by the running-gear, a sprocket-chain passing over thesprocket-wheel and adapted to travel from front to rear at the samespeed as the machine as a whole travels forward so as to be stationarywith relation to the ground, and a spring-pressed clamping device onsaid chain, normally closed, but opened by the teeth of the wheel.

5. The combination with a frame and running-gear, of a sprocket-wheeloperated by the running-gear, a sprocket-chain passing over the srocket-wheel and adapted to travel from front to rear at the same speedas the machine as a whole travels forward so as to be stationary withrelation to the ground,

a spring-pressed clamping device on said.

chain operable by the teeth of the sprocketwheel, a divided s rocketwheel and chain,v and presserb ades on each side of the sprocket-wheeland chain.

6. The combination with a frame and runshoe forward of the ning gear, ofa large sprocket-wheel mounted in the frame just above the ground andoperated by the runningear at a speed, 'as to its lower portion,rearward equal to the speed-of the machine as a whole forward so as tobe stationary with relation to the ground, an-

other and blank wheel loosely mounted in the frame forward of thesprocket wheel, 'a sprocket-chain passing over and connecting the twowheels, spring-pressed plant clamping devices arranged atintervals'along said sprocket-chain normally closed and ada ted to beopened by the teeth of the sproc etwheel, a divided shoe arranged inadvance of the said two wheels and sprocket-chain to open a trench, awatering device, and pressers on each side of the chain for pressin theearth into the trench and around the plants while they are still held bythe clamping devices.

7. In a planting machine, the combination with the sprocket-wheel andthe s rocketchain, of a pair of spring-pressed 0 am ing jaws secured tothe two sides respective y of a link in said chain.

8. In a planting machine, the combination with the sprocket-wheel andthe sprocketchain, of a air of clamping-jaws hinged to the two si esrespectively of a link in the chain and o erable by the teeth of thewheel.

9, In a p anting machine, the combination with a sprocket-wheel and a srocket-chain, of a air of spring-pressed c ampin jaws hinge to the twosides respectively 0 a link in said chain and 0 ened by engagement withthe teeth'of the w eel.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presenceof witnesses.

CHARLES E. DYER. HERBERT N. DYER.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. W. GANS, WM. E. BROWN.

